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Plain & Simple Roast Chicken

Plain & Simple Roast Chicken

They call it Blasted Chicken. I like it plain but you can insert a piece of lemon, garlic, or some herbs in the cavity before roasting. A cast iron pan works great but using a disposable foil broiling pan means no cleanup. Make sure your oven is fully preheated to 450 - that takes about 1/2 hour. - Jenny Jones

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

one 3 1/2 pound chicken

salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450° F. If using a cast iron pan, place pan in the cold oven and preheat the pan along with the oven.

Bring chicken to room temperature and pat dry inside and out.

Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Do not truss.

Place on preheated cast iron pan or on a broiler pan, a disposable foil broiling pan placed on a baking sheet for stability, or on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast for about 45 minutes (around 12 minutes per pound) or until the internal temperature of the thigh measures 165°F.

Pour juices out of the cavity and let the chicken rest at least 15 minutes. A foil tent will keep it warm.

To serve, I remove the skin and pull the tender meat apart into pieces.

39 Comments on "Plain & Simple Roast Chicken"

Old Texan

October 22, 2018 at 3:50 am

Again a simple Old Texas recipe. I made this a few days ago, cooking a Cornish Game Hen, (which may or may not be female) for an added level of delicious. I am not a fan of commercial turkeys, but if I have to cook one, this is my method.

Have tried many of your recipes and love them, so does my husband. What I like is that they are simple ingredients of which we already have in the house, no running out for special seasonings, etc. Love your recipes, videos, and especially your humor and graciousness. God bless you. Smarczne!!

Hi Jenny, love all your great recipes. You have such a fun way of showing how to make great, healthy dishes. Just cannot stop making the no knead bread. I have even made it with dried apricots, raisins and cinnamon, yum. Keep up the good work.

The only difference I do is to cut the chix along each side of the backbone, spread the sides slightly apart and place a ball of alum foil inside, to transfer heat while lifting the meat up/away from the pan. It also makes it easier to salt & pepper.

Jennie, it doesn’t have to be your recipes. Ask for recipes or look up other peoples recipes from various cook books, then add your twist to it. We all do that. Test it and then share with us. We love getting your Emails and we’d love seeing your videos again. Think about it. We love you and watching you cook and using your recipes. You are always an inspiration for us.

What?!! Out of recipes?! You?! Really?! 😞 Just kidding, I totally understand, but LUCKY US, we do have a ton to choose from on your blog. 😃 There’s a lot there that you made and shared with us, THANK YOU!!! I plan on picking many more of your recipes to make for me and my hubby. I wish you all the best Jenny!!! Maybe some “food-brain-storming” will come to you soon. I always look in my in-box to see if you sent anything out, but I’ll patiently wait, there’s no rushing a genius. 😊 Have a GREAT day Jenny!!

Jenny, I understand if you want to shift your focus. I hope cooking calls you back again. I will miss the entire presentation – the musical voice, the encouragement, the neighborliness as well as your cooking skills.

I always cook my whole chicken or turkey, breast side down for 1 hour. I do this with breast only meat.The juices go to the breast and it always comes out tender and juicy. Turn it with the breast side up and finish the cooking time for the weight of the meat. Nothing else fancy, the flavor comes from the meat itself. Or use your favorite seasonings.

I also like to roast a full chicken breast-side down first for an hour, then flip it over to continue cooking until the meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Then let it rest on the counter under a loose tent of foil to allow the juices to settle back into the meat.

You’re never too old to learn. I am 72 and still learning new things about cooking. I love it that I found you when I was looking for a recipe a couple years ago because your recipes are so simple and always come out so wonderful. I loved your show way back and you still have that great sense of humor in your videos. You are a wonderful teacher. Thanks so much for all of your help.

Thanks to you Jenny I finally tried making the cinnamon raisin braided bread 4 times now. Also after 20 years, I caved in and made pierogi. Delicious! Your tutorials have helped me tremendously in making these. I also remember seeing you on TV when you did your talk show. I’m so happy I came across your website. You have a good way of teaching, Take care. Thank you and hope to hear from you again.

Your posts and recipes are the best! My kind of cooking. I very much enjoy your how-to videos, and have learned from them on your site. Many of your recipes are in my file. I hope you are doing well, and look forward to your posts when you can. Thanks Jenny!

We will miss you if we don’t hear from you frequently. I love your recipes and videos . I can see how it might take up a lot of your time though. Will look forward to those times when we do hear from you!

I agree with Beth….getting a new recipe from you makes my day! How did you know that I have a chicken in the freezer just waiting to be cooked? Hope you are feeling well and doing fine. Thank you for being a ‘teacher’ and ‘friend’. Bless you, Jenny! 😍

Do you know how it “perks” up my day, to receive a recipe from you? So please continue when you can. Hope all is well with you. I will be doing two roasted chickens over the week-end. Love a simple good recipe! Thanks Jenny!

I think we could be soul cousins. Just your positive voice and fun while cooking gives a heart warming prescense in an otherwise quiet empty kitchen. I am what they call a golf widow and an empty nester. Yet I am very social and love getting out to the gymn. Don’t tell my gallery but first is cooking next is oil paint!